Badger cull spread is rapped by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust chief

Badgers across England are facing the biggest ever seasonal cull this autumn. Photo by Pixabay/Greg Newman.

Wildlife campaigners in Nottinghamshire are appalled that more than 70,000 healthy badgers will be shot this autumn to prevent the spread of cattle tuberculosis.

The country’s largest ever seasonal cull follows the Government’s promise six months ago to support the badger vaccination programme and move away from shooting the protected species.

This autumn’s cull will contribute to a total of 170,000 badger deaths since culling began in 2013, representing approximately 35% of the UK badger population.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, which vaccinates badgers on the county’s border with Leicestershire is currently trying to assess the likely impact on local badger populations and its vaccination pogramme.

Leicestershire is one of the six new areas where culling will take place this year under government licence.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s chief executive Paul Wilkinson said: “This is a quite staggering government U-turn and one which will result in thousands of healthy badgers being shot across England this autumn.“Back in March — following a review by Professor Godfray — the government promised it was moving away from lethal control but after seven years of badger culling, the government has failed to act on its own advice and is now massively expanding its culling programme into new areas including Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire making this the biggest cull yet.

“We are at a crucial turning point for our natural world and this latest government U-turn should set alarm bells ringing — culling is an outdated approach that seeks to wipe out protected wildlife rather than addressing the real problem which is the main cause of bovine tuberculosis (bTB): cattle-to-cattle infection.”

“Recent news of planned investment in a cattle vaccine is welcome, but not enough.

"Expanding culling into areas where badger vaccinations have been taking place will also undermine this vital and under-funded work.”

The Wildlife Trust’s latest campaign has resulted in well over 1,000 people in Nottinghamshire writing to their MPs raising concerns about the badger cull and plans to expand it into new areas.

The cull is expected to continue for a further four years.